Yarn winding apparatus



Dec. 5, 1961 E. R. BOWSER YARN WINDING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1959 W75 & 44 Fill].

INVENTORZ ERNEST R. BOWSER ATTYS.

Dec. 5, 1961 E. R. BOWSER 3,011,732

YARN WINDING APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIEL7 INVENTORZ ERNEST R. BOWSER A TYS.

Dec. 5, 1961 E. R. BOWS-ER 3,011,732

YARN WINDING APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fl [1| El. Z4

-:RNEsT R. BOWSER INV'ENTOR'.

\ A'r'rvs.

United States atent 3,011,732 YARN WINDING APPARATUS Ernest R. Bowser, Red Hill, Pa., assignor to Bowser and Associates, Inca, Red Hill, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 803,432 1 Claim. (Cl. 242-39) The present invention relates to yarn winding apparatus, and has particular application to quillers for winding quills for ribbon looms.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a quiller which is readily operated by a single operator in the factory or in the home. The present invention provides an improved quiller of compact design and which will operate with minimum maintenance for prolonged periods and which is readily adjustable to accommodate difierent lengths or sizes of quills, spools, and the like.

All of the objects of the invention and the various features and details of the construction and operation thereof are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a quiller embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation of the quiller shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary right-hand end elevation at an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary left-hand end elevation showing the driving connections to the operat ng parts thereof;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of one unit of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front elevational view of the unit shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the unit shown in FIG. 8 in one position of operation;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the unit in another position of operation;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmenatry sectional view taken on the line 1212 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view at reduced scale taken on the line 13-43 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the portion of the unit shown in FIG. 13 illustrating the adjustment afiorded thereby; and

FIG. 15 is a local section taken on the line 1515 of FIG. 10.

The quiller of the present invention is designed to wind yarn from a cone or other suitable package onto the flanged spool or quill used in the shuttle of ribbon looms and the like. For efficient operation of the loom, it is desirable to have approximately the same amount of yarn wound on the various quills so that all of the quills are exhausted approximately at the same time, thereby reducing the waste occasioned by the necessity of discarding the yarn remaining on the quill when changing the set-up of the loom. It is also desirable to wind as much yarn as possible on the quill Within the space limitations afforded by the shuttle so that the down time of the loom for changing quills is reduced to a minimum. I have found that a quiller which winds five quills simultaneously may be operated most efficiently by a single operator since the time required to dolf a quill and start a new quill is approximately one fourth of the time necessary to wind a quill of the usual size. For this reason, I have provided a quiller with five units driven from a Bill L732 single motor through adjustable driving connections operable to accommodate to the skill of the operator. The operating parts of the quiller are efiective to produce uniform quills with a minimum of maintenance and individual adjustment so that the apparatus may be placed in a home for operation by handicapped or partially disabled operators.

Referring now to the drawing, the apparatus comprises a stand 10 having means 11 for mounting a plurality of cones C or other yarn supplies for over-end delivery. The yarns from the cones C are passed over guide apparatus 12 embodying disc tensions 13 which maintain substantially uniform tension in the yarn travelling downwardly from the guide 12. The yarn passes through a traverse eye 14 and is wound upon the spool 15 or quill mounted for rotation in a winding unit 16. The traverse eyes 14 for the various units 16 are mounted on a common traverse bar 17 which is reciprocated horizontally by a cam 13 and follower 19. The cam is driven by gears 21 and 22 which are driven by a V-belt 23 through an adjustable V-pulley 24 (see FIG. 6) and idler pulleys 25 and 26 from the main drive shaft 27 of the apparatus. The shaft 27 is driven from an individual drive motor 28 as shown in FIG. 4. By adjusting the flanges of the adjustable pulley 24, the relative rate of traverse of the traverse eyes 14 may be controlled to provide a uniform builder motion level wind for the quills.

In accordance with the invention, each unit 16 is detachably mounted in the apparatus. To this end, the unit comprises a base plate 31 and a pair of uprights 32 and 33 respectively. A support arm 34 is mounted on the upright 33 to guide the traverse rod 17. Thus, by disconnecting the arm 34 from the upright 33, and the base 31 from the frame or stand 10, the unit 16 may be easily removed for replacement or repair. Thus, if a unit should become inoperative in the home, the unit may be removed to the factory for repair, and replaced by an operative unit.

The quill or spool 15 is mounted in the unit 16 to be driven from the main drive shaft 27. Means is provided to disconnect the drive automatically when the yarn builds up on the spool or quill to a specified diameter. The driving connection also may be interrupted manually. Brake means is associated with each section to operate concurrently with the interruption of the driving connections to positively arrest the rotation of the spool or quill to prevent further build-up of yarn thereon.

As shown in FIG. 8, the quill or spool is driven by a shaft having a driving head 35 with a friction disc 36. The shaft is journalled in the upright 33 and mounts two V-pulleys 38 and 39 between the legs of the upright 33. The pulley 38 is rigidly mounted on the shaft, for example by a set screw 41 and the pulley 39 is mounted for rotation on the shaft, for example by an internal bearing 42. A V-belt 43 is adapted to alternately engage the pulleys 38 and 39 and is constantly driven from a drive pulley 44 on the shaft 27 (see FIG. 3). Thus, when the V-belt 43 is engaged with the free pulley 39 as in FIGS. 7-10, the shaft 37 is not driven. When the V-belt 43 is shipped to the pulley 38, the shaft 37 is driven.

In order to facilitate shipping of the belt 43 between the pulleys 38 and 39, without danger of the belt disengaging the pulleys, each of the pulleys is provided with a large-diameter flange and a small-diameter flange. The small-diameter flanges are positioned adjacent one another on the shaft so that the V-belt travels over the small-diameter flanges during the shipping movement. The large-diameter flanges on the outside of the two pulleys prevent undesired movement of the belt out of engagement of the two pulleys. By the use of the V-belt and V-pulleys, a positive driving connection is provided between the shaft 27 and the shaft 37 to insure rotation of the spool or quill 15 at the desired rotary speed for building up the proper amount of yarn on the quill which will be equal to the yarn built up on the remaining quills v mounted in the apparatus.

A positive driving connection between the quill and driving head 35 is insured by a clamping head 45 having a friction disc 46 and mounted for rotation on a stub shaft 47 which is slidable longitudinally in the upright 32. The shaft 47 terminates at its opposite end in an enlarged head portion 48 which is engaged by a strong spring element 49 mounted on the upright 32-. Means is provided to displace the stub shaft 47 axially in the upright 32 against the bias of the spring'49 so as to release the clamping pressure of the clamping head 45. To this end, a release lever 51 is mounted on the upright 32 so that outward movement of the upper end of the lever pivots the lever about its foot portion 52 and engages the underside of the head 48 to displace the same outwardly of the upright 32. To insure that the quill or spool 15 is properly centered between the driving head 35 and the clamping head 45, the latter elements are provided with centering pins 53 and 54 respectively.

Means is provided to manually shift the V-belt 43 from the pulley 39 to the pulley 38 to initiate driving of the quill 15. Knock-01f means is provided to ship the belt back to the pulley 39 either manually or automatically when the yarn on the quill 15 attains the desired diameter. To'this end, a shipping slide 56 is mounted on the upright 33 for sliding movement between left and right-hand limit positions. The slide carries a pair of upstanding freely rotatable rollers 57 which confine the lower run of the V-belt 43 between them so as to position it alternatively in registry with the pulley 39 I and the pulley 38. The slide 56: is provided with a pivoted latch 58 having a projection 59 adapted to engage behind a keeper element 50, in the present instance in the form of a wear plate mounted onrthe upright 33. A spring 61 biases the projection 59 of the latch into engagement with the keeper and also biases the latch 58 and slide 56 toward the position in which the rollers 57 position the belt 43 in registry with the pulley 39. An arm 62 projects forwardly from the slide 56 to displace the same from the position illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 to the position illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 wherein the latch 58 engages the keeper 60 to retain the slide in the latter position against the bias of the spring 61.

In accordance with the invention, knock-off means cooperates with the latch 58 to release the same either automatically when the quill is filled or manually, for example when the operator observes a failure or the like. T this end, a bell crank or knock-off lever 79 is pivoted to the upright 33 and carries a roller 71 operable to engage the latch 58 to displace the same from engagement with the keeper 6!) (see FIGS. 9 and 12). The lever 70 is biased by a spring 72 to. a counterclockwise limit position as seen in FIG. 9 wherein the roller is out of engagement with the latch 58. The knock-off lever 70 carries a block 73 pivoted thereto as indicated at 74 which is connected to a feeler lever 75 by means of an adjustable connector 76, in the present instance in the form of a threaded bolt and nuts. The feeler lever 75 is pivoted to the upright 33 as indicated at 77 and at its opposite end, carries a roller 78 which is positioned to be engaged by the yarn building up on the quill 15. When the yarn builds up to the desired amount, the roller 78 is displaced, for example to the broken line position of FIG. 9 to thereby pivot the feeler lever 75 clockwise and raise the block 73 pivoting the knock-off lever 70 clockwise to engage the roller 71 against the latch 58. Thus, when the yarn builds up to the desired amount on the quill, the knock-off lever 70 is automatically actuated to release the latch 58 and ship the belt from the pulley 38 to the pulley 39. The knock-0E lever 70 may also be actuated manually if desired.

To insure instantaneous stopping of the rotation, of the quill 15, a brake is provided, In the present instance, as shown in FIG. 8, the brake comprises a spring strip 80 secured to the upright 31 at its lower end, as indicated at 81 and biased outwardly at its upper end into engagement with one of the flanges of the pulley 38. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12 the central portion of the spring 80 is in the path of movement of the operator arm' 62 of the slide 56. Thus, when the slide is displaced to its right hand limit position as shown in FIG. 8, the operator 62 engages the spring 80 and displaces ittowards the right away from the flange of the pulley 38. This is shown by the hidden lines in FIG. 11. Thus, when the slide 56 is latched in position to efiect driveof the pulley 38, the brake 80 is released to afford free rotation of the shaft 37. When a knock-01f occurs, displacing the slide 56 to the left as shown in FIG. 8, the-operator 62 disengages the spring 83 to permit it to engage the pulley 38 and arrest movement thereof. The braking action of the spring 86 therefore halts rotation of the spool or quill 15 promptly after a knock-off occurs.

As pointed out above, the automatic knock-oil which operates upon filling the spool or quill 15 is adjustable by means of the threaded connector '76. The sensitivity of the knock-off may be adjusted independently by adjusting the pivot 84 for the knock-off lever 70. To this end, as shown in FIG. 15, the pivot pin 84 is mounted in a horizontal slot 85 in the upright 33, and is retained in adjusted position within the slot 85 by means of a pair of opposed set screws 86 and 87, By adjusting the pivot pin 84, the knock-off roller 71 is adjusted toward and away from the latch lever 58.

When set up as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the quiller may receive quills ranging in length, for example from 1 /2 to 2% inches. Of course, when changing the length of the quill, the cam 18 must'be changed to correlate the traverse of. the eye 14 to the length of the quill, Means is provided to adjust the upright 32 toward and away from the driving head 35 to accommodate quills outside of this range. To this end, the base plate 31 is provided with a series of apertures 91 into which the fasteners 92 for the upright 32 may be secured selectively to provide the desired range of adjustment for quills of different lengths. When handling longer quills, it may be desired to elongate the stand it) to provide room for longer base plates which may aiford an even wider range of adjustment.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure, but

changes andmodifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

Apparatus for winding yarn on quills, spools, and the like, comprising a stand mounting at least one yarn supply package thereon, a main drive shaft mounted for rotation in said stand, a quill mounted for rotation in said stand to receive yarn thereon from said supply package, guide means for directing yarn from said supply package to said quill, means to traverse the yarn along the length of the quill, drive means for said traverse means comprising a driving V-pu'lley rigidly mounted on said drive shaft, a driven V-pulley drivingly connected to traverse means, and V-belt means interconnecting said driving and driven pulleys to drive said traverse means inv timed relation to said drive shaft, at least one of said V-pulleys being adjustable whereby adjusting the flanges thereof controls the relative rate of traverse to provide a uniform builder motion level wind for said quill, drive means for said quill comprising a quill drive shaft parallel to said main drive shaft and connected to said quill, a V- pulley fixed to said quill shaft to drive the same, a free V-pulley mounted adjacent said fixed V-pulley for free rotation on said quill shaft, a drive V-belt cooperable alternatively with said fixed and free pulleys, a belt shipper comprising a slide member mounted for reciprocal movement parallel to said drive shaftsv between first and 5 second limit positions respectively in registry with said fixed and free pulleys to position the drive belt alternate- 1y thereon, said V-pulleys being mounted in closely spaced relation on the quill drive shaft and having at their adjacent inner sides peripheral flanges of small radial extent so that said V-belt can be shipped from one pulley to the other by the slide member and the outer sides of the pulley are provided with peripheral flanges of greater radial extent operable to prevent displacement of the V- belt therefrom in a direction away from the other pulley, means normally biasing said slide member to the second limit position with the belt engaged with said free pulley, latch means to secure said slide member in the first limit position against said bias with the belt engaged with said fixed pulley to drive the quill drive shaft in timed relation to said main drive shaft, knock-off means actuatable to release said latch means and thereby cause the slide member to be shipped to said second position and transfor said belt from the fixed pulley to the free pulley, sensing means responsive to the amount of yarn Wound on the quill operable when a predetermined amount or" yarn is Wound on the quill to actuate said knock-01f means and disengage the drive belt from the fixed pulley and transfer same to the free pulley, a brake member normally biased to frictionally engage and stop rotation of the fixed pulley upon disengagement of the drive belt from said fixed pulley When the slide member is moved from the first limit position to said second limit position, and an arm carried by said slide member operable upon movement thereof into said first limit position to disengage the brake member from the fixed pulley when the latter is engaged by said drive belt.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 581,274 Ellis et a1. Apr. 27, 1897 630,343 Green Aug. 8, 1899 1,363,471 Kocourek Dec. 28, 1920 1,508,244 Petersen Sept. 9 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 365,576 Germany Dec. 18, 1922 

